Automobile crankcase emissions reduction devices are arranged between the automobile crankcase and the automobile positive crankcase ventilation valve, hereafter “PCV” to remove some of the engine oil from the fuel before returning the fuel to the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,971 entitled “Apparatus for Removing Contaminants from Crankcase Emissions” is an early arrangement for removing engine oil from the mixture by employing filters and fiber particles to enhance the separation process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,078 also entitled “Apparatus for Removing Contaminants form Crankcase Emissions” further describes the use of a deflector designed to change the direction of the liquid and to direct part of the liquid into a containment portion of the vessel and direct the fuel stream to the outlet.
When the apparatus becomes filled with the oil that is separated from the fuel/oil mixture, the container that receives the separated oil must be removed to dispose of the separated oil.
It would be advantageous, in automobile diesel applications, to be able to return the oil to the oil reservoir in the automobile system without having to remove the container from the apparatus, per se.
One purpose of the invention is to describe an efficient arrangement for removing oil from the oil-fuel mix in an automobile PCV system without having to remove the separated oil on a continuing basis.
A further purpose of the invention is to reduce the amount of fuel loss due to thermal evaporation from the fuel reservoir, in combination with the removal of the oil from the fuel-oil crankcase effluent.